Ratsclig sat at home, staring at the ceiling. He nervously glanced at the clock on the wall. It was eleven-thirty. The light in the room was off, only the cold moonlight and the bluish glow of the gas lamps on the street filtered in through the window, mingled with the warm summer air. Mawfreen was already sleeping like a baby. He wasn't particularly concerned about Ratsclig's mission. Askern would wake him when it was time, and he wanted to get some sleep. Mawfreen's bed was large and soft, incomparably better than Ratsclig's. He tried to use it as much as possible, because he never had the chance. Ratsclig stood and began pacing the room. The floorboards creaked loudly, but Mawfreen wasn't bothered; he continued snoring as if he'd been drinking heavily. Ratsclig was ready to leave, but he told himself he'd leave at exactly twenty to twelve. Ratsclig had such obsessions; once he'd made up his mind to do something, he had to do it. He had to, and that was it. The clock, illuminated by the dim light, showed one past twelve. Ratsclig sat down in a chair, laced up his high boots, pocketed his tiger-eye dagger, tucked his baton into his thigh pocket, and waited. Finally, as the clock hand pointed to eleven forty, Ratsclig stepped out the door. The corridor was pitch black, and he was immediately struck by the unbearable stench of stale air. He covered his mouth with his sweatshirt and groped his way to the exit door, stumbling several times over various strange objects on the stairs. The street was dimly lit. Poles with gas lamps hanging from them protruded from the black tenement houses. The air was unusually fresh and clean. There was a hint of the sea breeze in it, and it was completely out of place against the black buildings illuminated by a faint blue light. Ratsclig felt a bit strange. It was unnatural... He didn't stop any longer and quickly set off down the main street. Only closer to the port would he turn into less frequented areas. Ratsclig entered a wide street that didn't resemble the rest of the city at all. It was brightly lit, full of shops and... people. He tried to avoid attracting attention. Although he clearly looked suspicious, in high, soft-soled boots, a black sweatshirt with pockets, and matching trousers, passersby somehow didn't notice him. He was relieved when he turned into the dark areas he found so pleasant. He tiptoed through the dark park that bisected the city and found himself on the coast. He saw tall, pointed masts nearby. He ran quickly along the beach toward them and jumped the fence in one bound. He found no one there. Moreover, there was no lighting in the harbor. In the building outside the windows, he could only see some hooded figures, but there was no chance they would see him in the darkness. He wandered around the harbor for a while and found the perfect escape boat: a small fishing boat. He took a Kestrel from his pocket and whistled loudly at it. A loud sound, like a fire engine siren, echoed throughout the harbor. Ratsclig himself was startled by the sound.His heart began to leap into his throat, and his legs turned to jelly. More soldiers dressed in navy blue uniforms and armed with long straight swords emerged from the buildings.
"Hey you!" a voice came from behind Ratsclig. "Come here, jump onto the boat, you stupid idiot!" But Ratsclig instead started to run. He hadn't made it three meters when a strong hand stopped him and knocked him to the ground. A moment later, someone picked him up and threw him forcefully onto the boat, straight into the wet stain of the fish lock. He looked up and saw six figures quickly unhitching the boat and rowing towards the open sea. He sat up slowly, half-conscious after hitting his head on the side, observing the situation. Two soldiers ran onto the quay and a moment later jumped onto the boat. A man in a purple cloak embroidered with a white, two-armed cross jumped out in front of them. The first soldier swung wide at Kafrenfaen, and the second jumped behind him. Before the soldier could reach him, Kafrenfaen jumped aside and drew his golden sword from its sheath. He swung his sword in a wide circle in the air and drove it into the bottom of the ship. The soldiers looked at each other in astonishment and then suddenly took a swing at the cloaked figure. At that moment, Kafrenfaen pulled two tiny daggers from his belt and plunged them simultaneously into the soldiers' necks. They dropped their swords limply to the ground and collapsed on top of their tormentor. He threw them into the sea in disgust.
"King!" A crew member fell to his knees before Kafrenfaen. "That was extraordinary! I have the utmost respect—"
"Stop and grab the oars, Marvin!" Askern interrupted. "And you," he pointed at the king, "the other oar!
" "But..." Askern. Nelis, dressed only in a nightgown and blouse, was already at the helm. She turned and looked at Askern in astonishment. Askern returned the look.
Suddenly, a gleaming object appeared in the sky, flying towards them.
"Oh! Look!" Mawfreen angrily pointed at the flying object and picked up a large stone that had somehow made it onto the deck. The object flew towards the ship and stopped a few meters above it. It was shaped like a thin, oblong cigar, with the letters XQ engraved on its side in large circles.
"You bloody idiot!" Mawfreen shouted, and with all his might, he threw the stone at the object. The object shuddered, growled, and then rocketed into the air, creating a huge gust of wind before disappearing from sight. The boat nearly capsized from the rush of air. Mawfreen himself fell with great force to the floor, ran the length of the boat on his back, and came to rest on the side. He immediately got up, dusted himself off, and said, "They're stupid cunts!"
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